


Dark Storm Gathering

by ExpectoPatronum74



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Teen Wolf (TV), Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate universe where Fred Lives and George dies at the Battle of Hogwarts...I have my reasons, Angst, BAMF Draco Malfoy, BAMF Fred Weasley, BAMF Harry, BAMF Luna Lovegood, BAMF Neville Longbottom, BAMF Stiles, Big evil comes to town, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Harry Potter - Freeform, Heroes Detective Agency, M/M, Mentions of Aiden from Teen Wolf, Multi, Nice Draco Malfoy, Other, The Dark, The Hale Pack - Freeform, The Hale pack is split up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-13 00:02:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16006058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExpectoPatronum74/pseuds/ExpectoPatronum74
Summary: The Heroes Detective Agency gets a letter from a friend in the states informing them that an area in California has been taken over by a new magical force. Supernatural creatures and humans are disappearing in the woods surrounding the town.Rupert Giles suggest they come to visit him in his small town of Beacon Hills, Harry and his colleagues, Draco Malfoy, Fred Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood decide to take on the case. The Heroes soon discovers there is more than unusual magic in these woods, an ancient evil is making it’s comeback and it has the town and it’s protectors under it’s spell.The Beacon Hills Pack lead by Derek and Stiles have flourished in the last few years.  Ready to move on and begins new lives, the group goes their separate ways. When evil converges on Beacon Hills, the Pack gains some interesting new allies. Can they join forces and stop what is coming before it’s too late or will the town and woods surrounding it become a breeding ground for a new evil like the world hasn’t seen before? Are you scared of the Dark? Welcome to the new Hellmouth!





	1. Calling all Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Harry Potter, Teen Wolf, Twilight, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I am just a huge fan and thought it would be great if they all came together to fight in an apocalyptic showdown in Beacon Hills. 
> 
> DW
> 
> P.s. I know that Fred Weasley is the twin that was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts and George lived... I have my reasons for taking this twist...;)

Prologue  
In the office of the Heroes Detective Agency Harry, Draco, Fred, Neville, Luna are sitting around a large table filled with scattered papers, empty dishes, and mugs. They are wrapping up their case file on a rare magical beast that had been attacking muggles and wizards alike across London. As Draco puts the finishing touches to the report needed in closing the case file, the flames in the fire place flash from orange to a bright blue and a paper airplane flys through and is snatched out of the air with an agility from Harry’s seeker days in Quiddach at Hogwarts. Harry unfolds and reads the message. It is from Rupert Giles, an old Watcher friend who has recently moved back to the states. The message says that the HEROES are needed to investigate supernatural activity in a small California town. He says that both magical creatures and muggles have been disappearing in the woods around the town. Giles also states the Harry and his team are the towns best hope and he hopes they can free up some time and come out to California. Harry rereads the message to the group and asks them each in turn if they are interested in taking on a new international project. 

Draco says “Well I think it must be serious if Giles has asked for our help. He is a very good Watcher and has dealt with a lot of supernatural problems when he was stationed in Sunnydale years ago. I trust his judgement and if he is asking for help, then count me in.”

Harry nods to Draco, giving him a small smile and turns to Fred.

“You know I am always up for adventure, plus I have never been to California. I am in!” Fred says enthusiastically putting his arms behind his head and leaning back in his chair

Harry, a bigger smile spreading across his face, winks at Fred and turns to Neville.

“I have always wanted to study the plants in the Reserve, and it has been awhile since we left London. I vote yes.” Neville says giving Harry a big thumb up.

Harry pats Neville on the shoulder and turns to Luna how is sitting on his other side.

“Well” Luna says drawing out the word slowly like she is deep in thought, “If Giles says that something is attacking creatures and muggles, it must be some kind of magical creature. I think that we are needed.” Luna says with a far off look on her face.

“Ok then its agreed” Harrys says grabbing a quill from the stack of papers in front of him. “I will inform Giles that we will be there by the end of the week, That will give us time to finish the Venetian WaterVine case that Neville’s wrapping up and Draco can testify before the Wizenmagot on the Lastrange case. In the mean time everyone should pack what you need to be in America for a couple of months at least, and Fred you are in charge of packing the surveillance equipment and whatever else you need.” Harrys says, scribbling way on a piece of parchment. “Oh, Neville, Who will take care of your greenhouse while you are away?”

“That won’t be a problem Harry.” Nevilles says “I am going to bring it with me.”Neville’s states to the group like the answer is obvious to them all. “ Hermione created a spell that will allow me to shrink them back to seed form and then when I get to a new location I just have to plant them and reverse the spell. In 24 hours they will return to their original size. It is what I did when I traveled to Albania to work with the village that was being plagued by the paralyzing mold case.”

“Wow Neville, I thought you just had Hannah Abbott look after you greenhouse while you were away, I had no idea Hermione could invent spells like that, or I would have had her in the joke shop working on product development” Fred says looking at Neville in amazement.

“I have been trying to get Hermione to join the Agency for ages, but I don’t think she will ever leave the ministry, she loves her work in Goblins Relations. “ Harry says, glancing at Fred while folding his letter into an airplane shape. “Well I think that about does it” He says smoothing out the last fold. He raises his wand and waves it towards the flames and shouts” Fuga Ignis” The flames turn from orange to blue and Harry throws the paper airplane into it where it disappears in a rush of flames. He smiles thinking how clever Hermione is at creating new charms and says “ It’s late, why don’t you all go home and get packed and I’ll clean up around here. We will leave on Thursday after Draco is done at the Ministry. I will arrange for an international portkey. Good job on solving this case” Harry says looking at each of them with adoration in his eyes. 

Draco, Neville, and Fred give him a pat on the back as they make their way out the door and Luna gives him a quick hug and peck on the cheek. “Goodnight Harry, Go home and get some sleep.” She says, following the men out the door. Harry looks around at the cozy office the five of them share and thinks how lucky he is to be working with his friends and recalls how the Heroes Detective Agency had come about.

After the war, Harry quickly accelerated through the Auror training program and rises through the ranks of the Ministry in three short years. Though he found the cases exciting, he misses working with Ron and Hermione and the adventures they shared. He becomes restless in his job and longs for the feeling of freedom that he had when he was hunting horicruxes with his friends. In his three years at the Ministry, he has not grown particularly close to any of the other Aurors. Yes they were all nice, and they liked him and all, but it seemed like they still thought of him as the boy who lived rather than just plain Harry, the Auror. This often came up as a topic of conversation with Draco at their weekly catch up sessions over tea. They would spend their hour each week day dreaming scenarios in which they both quit their jobs and start a Detective Agency. They could choose what kind of cases they wanted to work on and not be burdened with the strict rules of the ministry or the hospital. After three months of such conversations, they both decided that they needed to stop dreaming and to start putting their dreams into action. 

A year after the war ended, Draco’s father died in Azkaban and his mother joined him in death not two months later. Draco had lost all of his family and friends during the course of the year. His friends that were loyal to Voldemort’s cause were either rotting away in Azkaban or had turned their backs on him when he testified against his father and several escaped death eaters. The night he decided to end it all Harry Potter showed up on his doorstep with a bottle of fire whiskey in hand, and a sly smile on his face. ‘’I thought you could use some company tonight” and Draco let him in. They spent the whole evening discussing the past, and mistakes they made and the present and how life has taken them off course from where they thought they would be. What Harry didn’t know was that he saved Draco’s life that night, and for that Draco was thankful.

Draco decided to stop living in the past and to try to do something good with his life. With Harry vouching for him and his determination to make up for his and his families transgressions against the wizarding community. With no chances to be accepted in to any wizarding universities, Draco studied potions under a reluctant and retired Horace Slughorn. In the few short years since pursuing his passion, he has become the youngest Master potion maker in all of Europe. He worked for St. Mungos Hospital, researching cures for magical maladies and inventing new medicines. Draco enjoyed the solitude of the lab for a time, but he soon found working at St. Mungos to be dull and not as challenging anymore. It was one thing to work diligently working for the good of wizards everywhere, but it was quite another to be bored as hell doing it! So after months of talking with Harry about what it would be like to open the Agency, Draco decided to go for it and fully prepare to make a drastic life change.

Over the past couple of years Draco and Harry’s relationship slowly grew from enemies, to merely tolerating one another, to becoming friends that looked forward to the visit. Now since partnering up with Harry, they started doing what they had always talked about, opening a detective agency. They purchased a building located in the very furthest corner of Diagonal Alley, and it became the office of the Heroes Detective Agency. Harry using his skills as an Auror met with the clients and spent a lot of time out in the field, while Draco worked in his newly built lab and took charge of the magical forensics. Because there were only two of them working pretty much around the clock to solve their first few cold case files, they eventually asked Fred Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood to join the team.

Fred had never gotten over the death of his twin, George, when he was killed at the Battle of Hogwarts. They had opened two successful Joke shops in the two years since they left school, and after Georges death, Fred never found joy in being in the shops and inventing new products. He sold the stores to his brother Ron and his friend Lee Jordan, and left the country. The next several years became a blur of wandering from one place to the next, never staying too long in one spot, searching for something to fill the void his his heart when George was ripped away from him. Finally he found himself back in London and Harry offered him a judgement free place to stay. As the months past, he found himself loitering around the Agency, helping Harry and Draco with their cases where he could, setting up surveillance on stakeouts with Harry, having long conversations through the night. Eventually his periodic visits to the office became more routine until he was there everyday by 8 am, creating better surveillance devices and charmed objects to protect against the dark arts. Fred’s spirits were on the rise, he purchased a flat in Diagon Alley above the Quality Quiddach Shop, and he even started going back to the Burrow for family dinner on Sundays. Draco and Harry observed the change in Fred and offered him a partnership in their business. Fred responded with a sly smile, a wink , adding a “Thanks mates”. 

Neville and Luna were often consulted on cases involving magical plant and creatures. Harry and Draco trusted their advice and instincts on their chosen subjects as they both have quickly rose to the top of their perspective fields. 

Neville, a top herbologist, had written many books on magical plants and their uses. He has made many discoveries of new and rare plants. 

Luna has traveled the world in her quest to prove the existence of several new creatures many thought to be myth, including the Rumple Skin Snorkack and the Blimbling Humdinger. Luna instinctually understands the creatures she comes in contact with, almost seemingly to be able to talk with them. 

With over thirty local and international cases, under their belts in the last two years, Harry and Draco asked Neville and Luna to work full time with the Agency and thus the HEROES Detective Agency was complete. The name of the agency is also their mission statement: H.E.R.O.E.S. - Helping Explain Rare Occurrences & Extraordinary Situations. They have quickly gained a reputation of being experts in all cases concerning the supernatural. 

Harry places the closed case file in the storage room, and owls the required documents to the Ministry of Magic. He magics the dishes into their small kitchen and uses a cleaning spell, flicking his wand, they dry themselves and fly into the cabinet with a small clinking sound of plates stacking. Harry turns off the lights and performs a series of locking and protection spells that will keep anyone from breaking in while they are gone. Stepping into the cobblestone street he turns and apparates to his home at 12 Grimmauld Place.


	2. Welcome to Beacon Hills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and the rest of the Heroes Detective Agency travel to Beacon Hills and meet Rupert Giles. He informs them of the strange history of the town and of the recent string of disappearances that have taken place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Heroes are in America! I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think. I don’t have anyone betaing my work so any mistakes you find are my own :)
> 
> Please enjoy the next chapter
> 
> DW

Rupert Giles is sitting at his desk in his study, the room is softy lit with only the desk lamp on, casting shadows around the room. He scratches out a few more words in the small notebook, closes it and places the pen down on the desk next to it. Taking a look at his watch he sees that it is five until 7pm. Giles stands up, clicks off the small desk lamp, and walks out of the room towards the front door of his small Tudor style house. He opens the door and steps out onto the porch. His house sets in a small clearing surrounded on three sides by ancient old growth sycamore, cottonwood, and alder trees that have been around since before the town of Beacon Hills was founded in the early 1800’s. Giles sits down in one of the Adirondack chairs facing the winding drive, disappearing down through the woods to the north, staring out into the starlit night sky.

‘They should be here any minute’ Giles thinks to himself taking in a deep breath of fresh air and laying back in the chair. Giles always felt drawn to the beauty and serenity of the Northern California woods, the towering trees had been standing in silent vigilance over this area since before the continent had been discovered and settled by the Europeans. They hold a quiet mystical quality that he could feel buzzing underneath his skin. No doubt this place is filled with a deep ancient magic that lately has been tinged with something dark and foreboding. This is why the Watchers brought him out of retirement and stationed him here. Giles glances up just as a group of shadows pop into existence in the small wooded driveway a few yards from the front porch. Giles stands up and steps down into the drive as the shadows move towards the house and into the small circle of light cast by his open windows. 

“Harry my boy, good to see you again.” Giles says extending his hand out to pull Harry into a warm hug.

“ How are you Giles, what’s it been two, three years?” Harry asks returning the hug.

“ Oh it has been at least three” Giles says loosening his grip on the younger man and stepping back to get a better look at him. “Good lord you look like you have filled out pretty nice since the last time I saw you. You were as thin as a rail. Are you working out everyday or something?” Giles asks jokingly, squeezing Harry’s muscles in his arms through the fabric of his long sleeved green shirt. 

“ Well you know with the stresses that come from chasing down criminals and magical creatures hellbent on taking out ‘The Boy Who Lived’, I have to stay on my toes to keep the upper hand. It’s a good stress reliever after sitting around all day eating biscuits with Fred while on stake out. Plus Draco here says that no one will hire a bunch of unfit shabby wizards, so he has us all on a rigorous diet and exercise plan.” Harry says laughing then giving a playful shove to the blond wizard on his left “He even has been known to replace our wardrobe with a more fashionable item as to keep us up with the current trends. As if I need to look like a model fresh off the runway to take down dark wizards.” Harrys says sarcastically throwing a playful look towards Draco.

“ Nobody wants to shell out their hard earned galleons to a bunch of mismatched slobs in outsized grungy clothes, and as far as the diet and exercise, we do have an image to uphold . Besides you all have never looked better, so your welcome Potter” Draco drawled out with a tinge of arrogance in his voice. “Who knows you may even find a boyfriend one of these days “ he adds with a smirk. 

The rest of the group explodes into laughter at this, as Harry feels his face heating up, turning a bright shade of red. “ Ok enough about me. Let me introduce you to the rest of my team, First the protector of our image and wardrobes is Draco Malfoy, he is my business partner and is in charge of forensics. He is a master potion maker and takes care of all of our finances.” 

“ Thank you for the invitation” Draco says while extending his hand for a short and firm handshake.

“This here is Fred Weasley, our surveillance expert and resident inventor.” Harry says pointing out the tall redhead next to Draco. 

“A pleasure to meet you Giles” Fred says stepping forward with a small bow , giving Giles a hearty handshake with a broad jovial smile plastered over his face.

“ You must be Arthur Weasley’s son, Why I don’t think I have seen you since you were a small tyke, terrorizing garden gnomes with your twin brother George. How are Arthur and Molly?” Giles asks realizing his mistake as he sees Freds face drop for a second at the mention of his brother’s name.

“They are good. They are up to their chins in grandchildren, with Bill and Fleur’s three children and Ron and Hermione’s two. I don’t think I have seen them happier.” Fred says recovering his smile with the quick change of subject.

“ I was very sorry to hear about... you know” Giles stammers an apology, “Your father helped us build an alliance between the Watchers and the wizarding world when we first learned that true wizards were not just a myth. I owe him a great debt of gratitude.” Giles says putting his hand on Fred’s shoulder. “ If there is anything I can do please don’t hesitate to ask.” He says looking Fred in the eyes, taking his hand away as the younger man steps back, eyes watering, his face obscured by shadow once more.

Harry, giving a small cough says “Giles this is Neville Longbottom, the guy I was telling you about in my letter. He is the wizarding world’s expert on magical plants.” 

“ Gosh Harry, I wouldn’t go that far, I just love plants, that’s all” Neville says with his eyes dropping down to look at the gravel crunching under his feet, steping nervously side to side, his foot kicking up small stones.

“Don’t be so modest Neville, I don’t know about the wizarding world, but I know the Watchers have completely rewritten their curriculum with your books on Herbology for all new upcoming Watcher candidates. I have added them to my own small collection in my library. It is an honor to meet you Neville.” Giles says shaking Neville’s hand, the young man looking at him bewildered a slow small smile forming on his face.

“ Thank you sir, nice to make your acquaintance. I would like to see your library sometime. It is rumored that Watchers have small library’s rivaling that of even Hogwarts.” Neville says confidence returning to his voice.

“ Oh heavens no it is not as great as the Hogwarts library, only the Watcher library in London comes close to that, but I do find myself the owner of several unique tomes that the watchers have been trying to get me to donate to their library for decades.” Giles says “ You are welcome to anything I have, I am at your service.” 

Harry steps forward again and points to the blond witch to his right “ Giles this is Luna Lovegood, she is our ‘Creature Whisperer’. She understands them so well that it is almost as if she can speak their language.” Harrys says looking at Luna with admiration shining in his eyes.

“ No need to go on with Luna’s achievements, the Watchers and I are very aware of her contributions to the knowledge of the magical creature world. Luna my dear what an honor it is to have you here. You will find your books in my library alongside Neville’s “ Giles says interrupting Harry with a quick handshake to Luna.

Luna coming out of her reverie looks at Giles gives a small smile and wave saying in her eerie sing song voice “ Hello Giles... did you know you have fairies living in your garden? “ she looks towards the small flower garden to their right, her eyes following unseen movement that no one else seems to see but her.

The group gives a quick glance at the garden and after a moment turn back to face Giles who says “ No I did not dear, but something has been moving my gardening sheers and hiding them from me.” He gives Luna a knowing smile and a small wink.

“Oh yes... They don’t like you clipping their flowers, that’s where they live...” Luna whispers to the group turning back to face Giles.

“Good to know Luna” he whispers back “Now if you are ready to eat, I have prepared dinner for us. Lets move this little party inside where it is warmer.” Giles says turning towards the house, walking onto the porch, and opening the door for them to walk through “I even got a bottle of Ogden’s Best Firewhiskey for afterwards” he says clapping Fred on the back as he passed by. He closes the door as Harry is the last to come through. “Welcome to Beacon Hills” he says opening his arms in a friendly hospitable gesture.

The group assembles in a warmly lit cozy living room four brown leather armchairs and an overstuffed creme colored sofa are situated around a large coffee table in front of the roaring fireplace. Several photographs are on the mantle showing Giles with a group of unknown teenagers in various parties and holiday events. The room looks well used and Harry thinks that Giles probably spends most evenings alone here, reading some old book with a steaming cup of tea on table in front of him.

Giles motions for them to set their bags down in the entry way and turns to point to a large old wood table already set with plates and glasses for dinner. A simple but beautiful old chandelier is dimly lit above the table and the delicious smells coming form under the covered dishes bring a rumble to Fred’s stomach.

“Please my friends take a seat and help yourselves to the food.” Giles says ushering them into the dining room.

The sound of chairs shuffling across the wooden floor as the group take their seats, leaving Giles the chair at the head of the table as a sign of respect to their host. Luna and Fred take the chairs on the right as Neville and Draco choose chairs to the right leaving the other end of the table for Harry their unspoken leader. Harry is last to take his seat as he stares around the room, artifacts from different cultures and religions tucked away on little tables and shelves scattered around the room. The sounds of dishes being uncovered and passed around brought Harry’s attention back the action happening around the table.

“ The food looks great Giles, you didn’t need to go to such trouble for us, a plate of sandwiches would have been plenty.” Harry says, watching Fred scoop a heaping pile of mashed potatoes on his plate.

“ Nonsense, Harry, I wouldn’t hear of it... a plate of sandwiches” Giles says laughing “You all would have arranged the first portkey back to London”

“ Relax mate” Fred says stabbing his third slice of roast beef onto the mountainous heap of food already on the plate. 

“ Excuse our friend here” Draco says to Giles, giving a small jerk of his head towards Fred who is shoveling food from his plate to his mouth. “ He isn’t house trained and we only let him out of his cage once a day” 

The table quiets as all eyes focus towards Fred, who looks up from his plate with a look of embarrassed surprise at all of the attention being drawn to his plate. “What” he says, swallowing the great glob of food and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand “I am hungry!” He exclaims ands the group erupts with laughter.

“ I may need to schedule some of us for etiquette lessons when we get back to London” Draco drawls as the rest continue laughing at Fred, who at this time is attacking the heap of potatoes with a speed of a starving man.

The dinner goes on until most of the food had been tucked away, the members of the agency enumerating their many adventures and mishaps while pursuing magical creatures, dark wizards, and hexes they received in the process. Their belly’s full and chairs pushed back from the table, Giles stands up and invites them to follow him into the living room and sit by the fire. 

They all stand up am move into the next room, each choosing a seat by the fireplace. Fred and Neville sprawl out on the small sofa. Fred loosing the button on his pants, giving him breathing room since demolishing two highly stacked plates of food and two pieces of blackberry pie. 

Draco sits in a chair furthest away from Fred and closer to the fire, giving him a small look of annoyance as Fred holds two thumbs up above his head and letting out a small burp saying “Compliments to the chef ” 

Luna giggles at Fred’s comment as she sits in the chair between him on the sofa and Draco. “ Oh Draco you don’t have to be so serious all the time. “ She says, giving Draco a knowing smile “ You need to have fun sometimes”

“ Belching like a pig at the trough is not my idea of having a good time” Draco says sarcastically as he leans back in his chair, smiling at Fred who is wearing an expression of surprise on his face.

“Oink Oink to you too, Draco” Fred replies with a twinkle in his eyes, pushing his nose up making a pig face. Laughter erupts from the group again and Draco takes on a more relaxed posture.

Giles pours out healthy amounts of Firewhiskey in six crystal tumblers and hands them out to the group in turn. 

Harry takes a seat in a leather chair next to Neville leaving the well used chair next to the fire for Giles, thinking it is probably his favorite place to sit. 

Giles hands Harry the last tumbler as he sits down next to the fire with his glass. “I believe we have reached the point in the evening where I must tell you why I asked the Heroes to come all the way out here.”

The group of friends quieted down as the seriousness of Giles words settled into their minds, each of them taking a sip of the whiskey. All eyes fixed upon Giles as he sets his glass down on the table and begins to speak again “ As I wrote in my letter to Harry, Beacon Hills has always been a place where magical and supernatural creatures, both dark and light, are drawn too. The woods surrounding the town have always been home to creatures such as Werewolves, Vampires, the Fae , and Duids and Witches of the old earth magic. The Dark and Light creatures battled over this territory until about two hundred years ago, when a powerful Werewolf clan moved into the area. They took control of the forest, driving out all dark creatures who would not live peaceably within the boundaries of their territory. “

“The Hale clan reigned over this area until about ten years ago when their mansion was burnt to the ground with all of them inside. A few of them escaped the fire but their Alpha, a strong women name Talia Hale, perished in the fire. Peter, her brother barely escaped with his life, burns covering a great portion of his body. He was hospitalized and was in a coma for years. Two of her children Laura and Derek escaped and fearing the whole family dead they moved to New York City where Laura raised a young teenaged Derek.” Giles says taking another large sip of his Firewhiskey .

“ About five years ago Derek came back to Beacon Hills to look for his sister Laura. A series of werewolf attacks took place and several people were killed including Laura Hale. Several of the victims were turned into werewolves and left to figure things out for themselves, causing more disruptions in the town. It seemed that a rogue werewolf was on the loose. Derek took the new wolves and a couple of humans under his wing and the Hale Pack was reborn. The rogue werewolf turned out to be Derek’s uncle Peter, who had been in the coma. He was unaware of his actions, and Derek and his new pack helped heal his mind. Derek took his Alpha powers away from him and Peter became a member in his pack.” Giles says to the group standing up to get the the bottle of whiskey and pouring generous amounts into each of their glasses as he circles back to his seat. 

Setting the bottle down on the large table in front of them he sits down and continues on “ The new pack faced many hardships and attacks from various supernatural creatures and human Hunter groups over the last couple of years. They always came out on top each time and stronger from the experience. They added members to their pack: wolves, a banshee, a hellhound , a kitsune, and several humans, one from an adversarial hunter group, and one of them is the first human Alpha who we believe may have the Spark, though I am not sure he knows it. They are a very close knit pack, not very trusting of others as they have been deceived by evil creatures pretending to be friendly with them.” Giles says sighing into his tumbler.

“Well it seems like the Pack should have a good sense of what’s going on here . Why call us?” Neville asks looking to Giles

“Oh that’s simple” croons Luna “ They don’t realize what’s happening under their noses.” She says staring out of the window located behind Harry. “Rackspurts in their brains” she whispers looking down into her glass.

The room went quiet an Giles breaks the silence after a minute “ I think you are right Luna... The Pack seems to be acting strangely. The close knit pack has been acting unexpectedly to the Watchers, some of them have even left town and gone away to university across country. Creatures that have been here for hundreds of years are disappearing and now there have been several disappearances of humans from the town. The Pack is acting like ordinary residents of the town, unaware of what is happening in the forest and town around them.” Giles says

“Why don’t you ask them if they know what’s going on?” Fred asks like it is the obvious thing to do.

“ The problem is that I don’t personally know any of the pack members . The watchers just sent me here to observe the Hale Pack situation. I did have contact with the town veterinarian who acted as Emissary for the hale Pack when Talia was the Alpha. He was an old colleague of mine from when I was an active Watcher in Sunnydale, CA. He was one of the first to disappear beforeI was formally introduced to the Alphas.” Giles says picking up his glass taking a long pull on the whiskey.

“Did you say Alphas? “ Harry asked drawing out the S at the end of the word.

“ Yes there are actually three of them, which is unheard of in normal packs. Derek Hale runs the Hale Pack with his mate Stiles Stilinski, the Sheriff’s kid and the First human alpha we have observed. The other was the first teenager to be bit by Peter Hale. He is a true Alpha, a rare occurrence, as most werewolves gain their Alpha status by killing another Alpha. Scott didn’t have to do that, he gained his powers when he was battling for his life a few years ago. The Watchers are not sure why he is still here, as they think he doesn’t rule the Pack with Derek and Stiles”. Giles says finishing the drink in his hand.

“How do you know they are unaware of what’s happening here? You said it yourself that you haven’t been able to get close to them. Maybe they are secretly investigating the disappearances to keep prying eyes from knowing what they are doing” Harry says finishing his drink as well and setting it on the wood table.

“I don’t think so. The first couple of months I was here, nothing really seemed out of the ordinary, just a bunch young adults choosing to leave town to pursue higher education and moving on with their lives. There is still a small contingency of the pack still here in town. They live in a big mansion out in the Reserve. Everything was quiet until a few months ago and the disappearances started taking place around town and in the woods. I was waiting to see if the out of town Pack members would return, and come together once more to face what was happing in their town. They have not returned yet, and it has been business as usual for the few remaining pack members. They go to work or to classes at the local college as usual, and move about the town living seemingly normal lives. No one has been called back and that’s why I am not sure they even know that something evil is happening here at all. “ Giles says again putting his glass back down on the table nodding a Draco to fill his glass as well.

“I think it is good that you contacted us. It would take a very powerful charm to fool a pack of werewolves into believing nothing is happening on their territory. Werewolves are very protective of their property and will fight to the death to protect it” Draco says topping off everyone’s glasses with the amber liquid. 

“Giles do you know who all of the pack members are and where we can find them? “ Harry asks concern showing on his face. 

“Yes I made a list with pictures of each of the members both in and out of town. “ he says standing up and walking to a small table by the large picture window. Opening a small drawer and pulling out a small blue folder, he walks back to the table and sets it down, open for the group to see. Multiple color photographs spread out onto the table. 

Harry sees a variety of young attractive men and women. They appear to be around the same age as his group. Rifling through the stack his eyes linger on two pictures. One showing a dark haired, beautiful unshaven man, with piercing blue eyes. He is well muscled and looks to be in his late twenties. The picture has the words ‘Derek Hale-Alpha‘ written in red ink. The other picture shows a younger male with deep amber eyes and a captivating smile. He is thinner than the first, and is wearing a faded red hooded sweatshirt. His demeanor seems jovial but he has an air of power that seems to radiate off of him. The red inked words read ‘Stiles Stilinski - Human Alpha- Spark? ‘ Harry sets down the pictures, placing them away from the group of other photos. He is shaken out of his daydreams as Luna’s voice cuts through the silence.

“He is different... Searching for something special... the key” she says her voice trailing off at the end

“Who Luna?” Harry asks pointing towards the photos

“There are three... the key” she says again

“Not very helpful there Luna” Fred says with drunken laughter. “Which one of those blokes are you talking about?”

The room is silent for a minute everyone looking to Luna to choose a photo. Draco stares at her with an uneasy look in his eyes.

Luna yawns, leaning back in her chair and finally says “ It is nice here... I am sleepy.” 

The reverie broken by her declaration Giles looks at his watch and stands up and saying “ My look at the time, it is past midnight and you all are probably dead on your feet, considering the time difference. Let me show you to your rooms.”

The group rises and follows Giles to a small stairway, grabbing their bags on the way, Draco pulling up the rear. They reach the top of the stairs and realize that almost the whole second floor is a library. It houses wall to wall ornate dark walnut book cases reaching from floor to ceiling and filled with books. A large table sits in the middle of the room with multiple comfy chairs situated near windows around the room. 

“You are welcome to use this space as you see fit.” Giles says continuing past the bookcases and tables. “My room is the room on the right. Luna, I saved the room on the left for you. It has its own bathroom and you won’t have to shared with the boys. “ He says smiling at Luna. 

She thanks him and walks into the room closing the door, a sleepy smile on her face.

Giles turns back to the young men opening a third door, showing them a small staircase leading up into the attic. It is a large open room with a small bathroom next to the stairs. He says” I am sorry for the tight quarters and that you four have to share but the beds are comfortable and everything is clean.”

“This is great Giles, no worries here. This reminds me of the dormitory in Griffyndor Tower.” Harry says, setting down his bag on the nearest twin bed next to him, clapping Fred and Neville on the backs.

“Yeah its bringing back a lot of good memories” Fred says grabbing the largest bed in the corner of the room and sprawling out on the bed like a long starfish.

“I love it, Thank you Giles”. Neville says moving towards a twin sized bed tucked back into the cubby area made by the large dormer in the roof across from Harry.

“We appreciate your hospitality Giles, and don’t worry about the dishes on the table, I used a cleaning spell on them as we passed by the kitchen and I turned off all the lights.“ He says as he sits on the twin bed next to Harry’s

“Ok Goodnight, no rush to get up in the morning. I set an appointment with Lydia Martin for 2pm at the coffee shop downtown. She will show you several viable properties for your extended stay in Beacon Hills.” Giles says

“Lydia Martin?” Fred says sitting up and tugging off his boots, dropping them one by one next the the bed” Isn’t she one of the Pack members we saw in the photographs this evening? 

“That she is, and I figured it would be a good opportunity for you to meet one of the Pack” Giles says, winking at Fred. “See you in the morning.” He says turning and pulling the door closed behind him.

Half an hour later the four men have changed their clothes and are laying in their beds, Neville and Fred are asleep. Draco is laying on his side watching Harry get into his bed

“Do you think we will be able to work out whatever is happening to the Hale Pack?” Draco asks as Harry turns out his bedside light, darkness descending upon the room.

“ I think we need to”. Harry says turning to face Draco. “I think Luna may know something, she is usually right in situations like this” 

“I know that is what has me worried” Draco says turning onto his back, staring at the ceiling “She seemed weirder than usual, and that’s saying something for her.” He says with a sigh

“We have the tour with Lydia tomorrow, and that will give us a chance to see a bit of the town. Who knows we may be able to see if she knows anything.” Harry says sounding hopeful.

“ I wouldn’t hold my breath. If it was that easy, Giles would have known more.” Draco says

“Well I am not giving up yet. We have a pretty good track record for figuring out the unsolvable cases” Harry says pulling the blanket across his bare chest

“This just feels different somehow, but you are right Harry, we are a great team. “ A few moments later he mumbles “If anyone can solve this case, it’s us.” Draco says closing his eyes. “Goodnight Harry”

“You worry about everything Draco” Harry says with an uneasiness creeping into his voice. “We will take extra precautions with this one. Make sure everyone is safe. Goodnight Draco” Harry says rolling over to his other side. His mind drifts back to the images of the two Alphas that have captured his thoughts since seeing their pictures. He closes his eyes, a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am excited how the story is going so far! I have a n outline for the next couple of chapters and some ideas for others further along in the story. I would like to hear what you think and if you like it. I am not a professional writer but I am enjoying writing in my spare time at night or the weekend when I am not designing buildings.
> 
> DW


	3. The Toughest Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia helps the group look for a place to live. Fred finds an admirer.

> The stag walks silently along the well used game trail, silver stars peeking through the dark leafy canopy of the tall ancient trees. The mingled smells of earth, flora, and a slight musty wild smell of the animals who regularly use the trail, fills his nose. He makes his way through the underbrush coming out onto a rocky ledge, cantilevering above the small river, winding its way through the thick forest below. The stag stands on the cliff illuminated by the full moon rising behind him. He looks up as rustling in the undergrowth off to his left causes him to freeze in place. A large dark wolf steps out of the shadows and onto the path behind him, cutting off his escape. The stag lowers his head showing off his huge rack of sharp antlers and huffs out a warning to the wolf to stay back. The wolf’s eyes flashing red lets out a low rumbling growl originating deep in his throat. The stag raises his head and stares at the wolf. A bright white light radiating off his majestic body, the crackling of magic palpable in the cool night air. The wolf raises his head to the moon and lets out a long lonely howl, fading into the night. He turns walking back down the trail, and looks back over his shoulder, his eyes changing from bright red to a deep piercing blue. The stag keeps eye contact with the wolf, feeling the fear drain out of him and replaced with a surge of electricity spreading down through his body leaving him feeling warm and loved.

Harry slowly opened his eyes, the sounds of birds chirping. The early morning light creeping through the dormer windows beginning to gently illuminated the room the four men are sharing. Harry remembering the dream of being in the woods and still feeling the warmth and contentment he felt in the dream. He stares up at the ceiling listening to the gentle snoring coming from the direction of Neville’s bed, reminding him of his school days back at Hogwarts. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he gets up and makes his way to the small bathroom they share. The room had grown considerably brighter when Harry finally emerges from the bathroom, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. Quietly making his way back to his bed , he sits down and pulls his small black duffle bag out from under the bed. Unzipping the bag he pulls out a pair of faded well worn blue jeans, a tight green button up short sleeve shirt the color of his eyes, and a pair of black boxer briefs. Pulling the briefs up as he stands, the towel dropping to the floor, he looks up to see Draco is laying on his side facing him and wide awake. Harry bends down to pick up the towel and says “ Sorry, I thought everyone was still sleeping.”

“You know I don’t sleep well in new places. I was just laying here thinking about what Giles told us last night.” Draco says sitting up and putting his feet on the floor.

“I know what you mean, I definitely think this may be our toughest case yet.” Harry pulls on his jeans and sits down on the bed facing Draco. “Do you think the town is under a spell or something? “ Harry asks pulling on his trainers.

“ Probably but it could be anything at this point, we don’t have enough information.” Draco stands up, stretching his arms above his head, the muscles pulling taught in his pale torso. “ I think I’ll go for a run this morning, get a feel for the woods around here.” Draco says slipping his bare feet into his trainers.

“I’ll go downstairs and start breakfast so it will be ready when you get back.” Harry pulls on his shirt and stands up. “ Be careful Dragon” Harry said using the nickname he calls Draco when nobody else is around. 

 

* Draco POV*

The chilled morning air feels nice on his damp skin, sweat dripping down his neck and running down his bare chest. Draco always took to running when he needed to think hard about something. He was alone on the road, the only sound coming from the crunch of his feet hitting the gravel and the chorus of birds singing in the trees above. 

Draco sees a dirt path cross the road and makes a right turn onto the trail, the rising sun on his face. Picking up speed as he gains more traction on the smooth trail, he darts through the trees and jumps over small rocks in his path. Draco feels the tension beginning to seep out of his body as his pulse quickens from the exertions of the upward sloping hill.   
He continues on for several minutes to the top of the hill, stopping when he reaches a rocky outcropping overlooking a river running through the forest valley below. The sun is just peeking over the tops of the trees, a warm orange hue filling the horizon, pushing the darkness of the previous evening almost completely away. Draco sits on a nearby boulder and continues taking in the beautiful vast landscape stretched out before him. 

Draco thinks the first problem is that the Heroes need to solve what is keeping the Hale Pack from knowing what is happening in their territory. The is no spell that he has come across that could make a whole town forget that people are disappearing. The caster would have to be very close and powerful. Someone like that would have drawn the attention of the International Confederation of Wizards before now.

So ruling out spell work or memory charms, the next logical thing would be some kind of potion. It could be something released into the air or water. He thinks he will ask Giles if there has been some recent public event that all of the town has attended. He makes a mental note to ask Giles later today.

Other forms of magic that could be at play? He thinks of different scenarios that could be happening, listing them off in his head:  
1\. The pack itself could be under a spell, that would be less people affected. 

2\. The pack may already know, and not showing any sign of outward appearance that they do, this Draco would need to talk to pack members. 

3\. The pack is being controlled by a creature, wizard, or coven of witches, and this may be the cause of their disinterest . 

4\. An effect from some unknown magical plant, polluting the air and or water, lulling the town and pack into submission, making them easy to take. Draco would need to consult with Neville on this theory. 

5\. Something completely unknown to the Watchers and Wizarding World is descending down on the small town. That thought sends a shiver down Draco’s spine. If this is the case, they would need to wait for the thing to come to them. Since Giles has been here for a couple of months and still remembers everything that is going on, it may mean they need to move here long term before it affects them as well.

Draco gets to his feet once more, the sun higher in the sky now the darkness has been replaced with the clear blue of daylight. He turns and runs back down the path making his way back to the cottage.

 

*Harry POV*

Harry scoops the rest of the eggs down into Draco’s plate. Draco is the last to make it to the breakfast table. Neville, Luna, Fred, and Gilles are chatting away, breakfast plates clear except for Fred, who is eating his third helping. Draco takes his seat between Neville and Harry and grabs a muffin from under the covered plate in the middle of the table.

“ Sorry about the bacon” Harry said eyeing Fred warily, “I told the others to save you a slice or two.”

“Yeah, the bacon is great this morning!” Fred says, stuffing the last piece into his mouth. “You really missed out on a treat Draco.” 

“Well he would have had a piece if you hadn’t have eaten twelve pieces yourself Fred” Neville says nonchalantly.

“That’s ok , I found a nice little path through the woods that will make an excellent place for my morning run, and Fred will be my running partner.” Draco says to the group. “Oh and I may have forgotten to mention that it is mostly up hill .” He says with a smirk directed towards Fred.

Fred stopped chewing and pushes his plate away saying ”  
Come on Draco you know how much I hate running.”

“ And you know how much I like Harry’s bacon.” Draco says watching the other mans face drop. 

The others laugh as Fred gets up putting his empty plate in the sink. 

“Oh and Fred, you’re on cleanup duty since I asked you to save Draco some food.” Harry says giving him a mischievous grin. “Everyone be ready to leave in twenty minutes. Giles is taking us on a tour of the town.” 

Half an a hour later they find themselves turning off of the gravel road and heading towards the town. They all managed to fit comfortably in his black Suburban. Harry sitting in the front passenger seat and Luna behind him with Fred and Neville between her and Draco. All of them looking off into the woods, quietly taking in their surroundings. Neville and Fred talking excitedly about the the previous quidditch match they had attended in London, Puddlemere United vs the Holy Head Harpies. Harry watching the frequency of houses breaking up the monotony of trees as the get closer to town. Finally they reach the top of the hill and see the small town spread out in the valley below and a large wooden sign that states:

Welcome to Beacon Hills   
Population 30,000

“ 30,000 people” Draco whispers in a hushed voice. “ that’s definitely too many for a spell or potion”.

The group is silent for the rest of the drive, listening to Giles as he points out land marks with significance. Beacon Hills looks like any other west coast small town. People going about business as usual, nothing seemingly out of place. Giles pulls into a parking spot on Main Street, and their tour concludes on foot. There are several restaurants, banks, offices, and shops lining both sides of the street. They notice several of the storefronts are empty, no evidence of what the businesses that occupied them were before. 

“ Lets go in here.” Giles says opening the door to the Daily Grind, the town’s only coffee shop. “Lydia said she would meet you here soon.” 

“Giles what can I get you?” Fred says as they take their seat at a large table in the corner of the shop. 

“Ill take hot tea, Thank you Fred.” Giles says sitting down in his chair.

“You guys want your usual?” Fred asks the rest of the group, knowing their orders as he is always the first one in the office. He always stops to get coffee and tea for everyone. Nods coming from around the table confirming what he already knew. 

 

*Fred POV*

He gets in line behind several customers and looks up at the menu board to see what the speciality coffees are. He notices the handsome barista right away. He has short dark hair, deep brown eyes, and a stunningly beautiful smile. Fred the thinks that the young man looks to be in his mid twenties, has an athletic build, and is strikingly handsome. The guy looks up from his cash register, handing the lady in front of him, her change . He glances over to Fred and catches him staring. The barista flashes a bright smile then turns back to the next customer in line, ready to take his order. 

Fred watches the man as he walks over to a display case filled with pastries and reaches up to grab a box on a shelf above the counter. His shirt lifts up a little exposing the lower portion of his abs, tanned and muscular with a thin line of dark hair disappearing down below the waistband of his jeans. He catches Fred staring at his body and gives Fred a smirk and small wink. Fred feeling embarrassed that he has been caught ogling this stranger in his work place steps over to the small bulletin board next to the register that has notices posted by customers. Feigning interest in the flyers, he casually glances back at the man, his eyes following his movements as he adds an assortment of pastries to the box . The man looks from the customer and again flashes a smile to Fred as he places the next treat in the box. When it is finally his turn, Fred steps up to the counter and sees that the name tag the young man is wearing says ETHAN. 

“What can I get you?” The barista says looking him up and down, a smile again forming on his face.

Fred stands there for a minute unsure of what to say. The Fred of old, before George died, would have given the handsome man a compliment and asked him on a date. That person is gone, he is just a shell of what he once was, and he didn’t think he was ready to ask a cute barista on a date. Instead he replies“ I need a large black coffee for the guy in the specks, two earl grey teas for the old dude and his boring blond son, a cappuccino for the man with his nose in the book, a soy chai latte for the little lady, and I’ll take .... umm...surprise me.” Fred says with a smile, having just pointed to each member of the group and ending by pointing his thumbs back at himself . 

Ethan turns and starts making the beverages, every so often glancing back to Fred whose eyes are watching his every move. “ You must be new in town, I haven’t seen you around before” he says placing two drinks down on a tray on the counter .

“Yeah, this is my, I mean our first day here” Fred says cocking his head back towards the group. “ We are going to be staying for a while.” 

“Oh, I knew I hadn’t ever seen you before.” Ethan says nonchalantly. “Are you here with your girlfriend? “ he sets the third drink down on the tray.

“ Nah, I don’t have a girlfriend”. Fred says looking back into Ethans eyes, “Or a boyfriend for that matter.” Fred did not know where that last statement came from. It was very unlike him to flirt back with anyone, much less this Greek Adonis standing before him. 

“ Umm, that’s a pity.” Ethan says setting down the two teas. “I would have thought a tall, handsome, strapping fellow such as yourself would be partnered up by now. It looks like it just might be my lucky day.” Ethan says going back and grabbing a large to-go cup and filling it with ice.

“ Yeah and why is that? “Fred asks smiling, transfixed on what Ethan is doing with the last drink. “Did I win a prize for being the thousandth customer?”

The blender stops whirring and Ethan pours the mixture into the cup, closing it and writing something on the side of it.   
“ No you won something much better than a free coffee.” He walks back to Fred and places the cup down on the counter. 

Fred looks down at the cup and he sees that Ethan has written his number there.

“I get off at six, and could be persuaded to show the hot new bachelor the sights around town.” Ethan says, confidently adding “ I promise it will be the highlight of your day.” He shoots a wicked smile at Fred and folds his arms together, his large biceps bulging .

“Well aren’t you a cocky one.” Fred says picking up the beverage tray and dropping a twenty and ten on the counter. “ But it takes more than just a pretty smile in tight jeans to get my attention.” Fred says giving Ethan a little wink and walks back to his friends at the table.

Ethan throws his hands to his heart and stumbles backward leaning on the wall, feigning being shot. “Straight through the heart! Beautiful and deadly, I think I’m in love!” He says collapsing on the counter. 

Fred laughs merrily as he sets the tray of beverages on the table. He takes his cup, glancing at Ethan’s number and smiles to himself. George would have wanted him to ask the cute barista out. He would want him to be happy. He takes a sip of his cold coffee beverage and is surprised by what he tastes. It is a sweet carmel flavored drink with a hint of cinnamon. The smell and taste reminds him of the Christmas drink George would make when they were first out on their own, getting the joke shop up and running. He closes his eyes and takes another sip, letting the memories of his brother and best friend wash over him, filling him with a sense of warmth and serenity, the sounds of the group chatting fading into the background. 

He is brought out of his happy place when the door to the coffee shop opens, the bell above tinkling softly, the click clack of high heels making its way to their table. He opens his eyes and sees an immaculately dressed, strawberry blonde woman about his age making her way confidently towards their table. He takes a long sip of his drink, emptying the cup.

 

* Lydia POV*

“Good morning, you must be Giles” Lydia says as Giles stands up and shakes her extended hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you in person.” She turns to the rest of the group who is standing and smiling at her, and introduces herself to them. “I am Lydia Martin” She says, extending her hand to Harry.

“Good morning Ms. Martin, thank you for meeting us on such short notice. Gilles says you were able to find a couple of properties that will match our needs.” Harry says.

“ Please call me Lydia, Ms Martin makes me sound like my mom.” She says with a quick laugh.

“ Lydia it is then.” Harry says smiling “I am Harry and these are my friends and colleagues Luna, Draco, Neville, and Fred.” He point to each in turn.

Lydia having extended her hand to each person in turn, takes a seat at the table and looks at Harry again. “I understand that you are looking for a large secluded property situated on the edge of the Reserve, and an area for large gardens or greenhouses. I see that the house should be large enough for the five of you to spread out and have areas of your own. I must say that this was somewhat of a challenge for our small town but I do have several properties to show you. If you all are ready, I believe that everyone will fit in my vehicle.” She says 

“ What do you drive, a school bus? Draco says imagining that the blonde probably drove some expensive European car.

“ I borrowed my friend Derek’s van, so we will have plenty of room. She says standing up, making her way to the door.

 

*Ethan POV*

The group stands up and follows her. Ethan walks towards the table and catches Fred’s attention. “ I saw that you really enjoyed the drink, and I thought you might like one for the road.”

“Thank you” Fred says reaching into his back pocket to grab his wallet.

Ethan puts his hand on Fred’s, trapping it against his firm ass, a crackling of electricity running through their skin. “This is my way of apologizing for coming on so strong.” Ethan says looking up into Fred’s light brown eyes. 

Fred, feeling like he has grabbed onto a live wire, stares back into the beautiful brown eyes of the hot barista. He leans in close to his right ear and whispers seductively “ It will take more than a free drink from a beautiful stranger to win me over that easily.” He slowly pulls away inhaling the clean scent of soap, coffee, and a slight hint of sweat. Taking the cup from Ethan’s hand he walks towards the door where his friends had disappeared minutes earlier.

Ethan feeling a shiver run through his body, goosebumps on the exposed skin where the mysterious stranger had just had his mouth inches from his neck. “I don’t even know your name” He says exasperation tinging his voice. 

“A stud like you should have no problem figuring out a way to get that information, that is if you really wanted to see me again.” Fred laughs and gives him a sly smile. He walks through the door enjoying the taste of his flavored beverage.

Ethan collapses into Fred’s empty chair watching the well build redhead strut across the street and get into the pack’s 15 passenger van. “ Don’t worry tall dark and handsome, I already know who to ask.” He says to himself, grabbing all the empty cups and placing them back on the tray. 

 

Later that day when he thinks Lydia is finished showing the group properties, he sends a quick text message off to her. 

Wolf-man4ever: ‘ Lydia, whose the tall, redhead hottie?

Banshee-screamer : ‘ Wouldn’t you like to know’ 

Wolf-man4ever: ‘ Um Yes, he is a walking wet dream! ‘

Banshee-screamer : ‘ I am not surprised, When I walked in today I figured that was who you were drooling over when you were wiping the same spot on the counter for ten minutes.’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘ Well can I get his name?’

Banshee-screamer :’ What’s it worth to you?’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘How about I do your share of the house duties this week’

Banshee-screamer : ‘ Wow, he must not be very special if your grand gesture is a week worth of chores. I think I’ll mention to him tomorrow that you already have a boyfriend.’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘ Come on Lyds, you know I don’t make much here at the coffee house. What if i do all your duties for the next three months and I’ll keep Jackson from using your face and hair care products when you leave for work in the morning.’

Banshee-screamer : ‘What Jackson doesn’t know is that I switched all of my expensive beauty products with cheap ones and put them in different bottles, he has been using the cheap stuff I got at the dollar store.’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘LOL no wonder he has been breaking out. ‘

Banshee-screamer :’ Last chance before I tell him you have herpes ‘ 

Wolf-man4ever:’ Lydia please, I really like him!’

Banshee-screamer : “ I am really busy Ethan, I need to find other properties to show them again tomorrow ’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘Ok Lydia, I’ll do all your chores for a year, detail your Mercedes every two weeks, and bring you coffee to your office every morning. What do you say?’

Banshee-screamer : ‘No, that would be a breech in Client confidentiality.’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘ I am desperate here. I think he is my soul mate...he is SOOO HOT!!!’

Banshee-screamer : ‘I’ll think about it, and because I love you I’ll tell you his first name, but if I do, you’ll let me dress you for your date.’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘Its a deal, what is it????’ 

Banshee-screamer: ’It’s Fred, be ready to go shopping tomorrow .’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘If you put in a good word for me, tell Fred that I am a great guy! HELP get him to go out with me... I WILL OWE YOU BIG TIME!!!!’

Banshee-screamer :’ I own your cute ass! ;)’

Wolf-man4ever: ‘I am yours!’

 

*Lydia POV*

Lydia pulls the van onto a long drive way leading through the woods. “Ok This is the last one, It is very different from all the other properties I showed you. It is much bigger, but it will need a lot of work to restore it to it’s former glory.” Lydia says warily to the group. 

They had been unexpectedly quiet through out the tour of the nine properties she showed them the last three days. They didn’t ask the usual barrage of questions that her typical clients did. They would just listen to her talk about each property, walk quickly through the houses, and Harry would ask if there was something else that she had to show them. Lydia has had tough clients before, but she prided herself on being able to read the situation and quickly find a property that matched the expectations of the client. 

This morning marks the third day of showing them properties and she was bound and determined that there would not be a fourth day. She remembered an abandoned property that she tried to get Derek to buy when he was looking to restore the Hale Mansion to it’s former glory, but he was unwilling to go anywhere but on his family property. 

“ This used to be the property of the first Lumber Barren in Beacon Hills. It is has the most average of any other property in the county. There are two greenhouses and 150 acres of land attached to 40,000 square foot mansion. Unfortunately I’d has been in disuse since the 1970’s so it is in a sad state of affairs”

She pulls the van through the open gates of the manor. They begin to follow the drive, winding their way up the hillside through the heavily forested property. Everyone seemed to show more signs of life as the van reached the crest of the hill. They entered the large terraced clearing spreading out before them on the expansive property. She could hear Neville whispering to Draco in the back of the van, but could not quite make out all of the words, just picking up on a few like “ Gardens , muggle, and defenses”. 

Pulling the van into a circular courtyard and stopping next to the massive stone house. When the group exits the van and is assembled by the fountain in the center of the courtyard she turns to the group giving them more details of the property. 

“ This four story house was completed in 1863 and built in the Victorian Gothic Revival style. There are 26 main bedrooms, 43 in all including the servants quarters. There are 106 total rooms in this mansion including several additions to the main structure. The additions added over the last century were a two story library, a 40 foot tall chapel, an expansive aviary housing hundreds of exotic birds from around the world, sawmill that has been turned into a 5,000 square foot workshop, and a large indoor pool house. Also there are two greenhouses that serviced the kitchens in the back. There are multiple gardens, large sprawling terraced lawns spread throughout the 150 acre property. The Preserve surrounds the estate on all four sides. Your nearest neighbors are 10 miles away. All of the stone work ,tracery, and stain glass windows are original and need minimal refurbishing to bring them back to good condition. The house does need major repairs but it has all of the things on your list. Please feel free to look around and if you have any questions I’ll meet you by the grand staircase. Take your time so that you can get a feel for the majesty of the estate.” She says looking lovingly at the beautiful facade of the house.

She unlocks the large double wooden doors and they enter coming into a grand entrance. “This is the Grand Staircase” Lydia says. “The drawing room, chapel, sawmill, and library are to the right, and the ballroom, aviary, indoor pool ,and kitchens are off to the left. The gardens and greenhouses can be accessed from the doors straight ahead. All of the bedrooms are on the next two floors and the servant quarters are on the top floor. Wine cellar and entrance to the tunnels can be found in the basement. They are a series of tunnels that lead to the river and various places in the woods. The original owner was concerned he would need to use them if he ever came under attack. I guess it was different times then, right? I’ll wait right here for your return” she says with a warm smile. She says thinking that from her experiences with the pack, that times aren’t too different now. 

 

Harry and Draco go up the stairs to look at the living spaces above. Neville stays on the first floor veering to the left to find the greenhouses . Fred and Luna walk down the hallway to the right, Fred looking for the sawmill while Luna searches for the library. Lydia leans up against the railing of the staircase and hopes that this will be the property for them. They seemed to show much more excitement here than any of the 12 other properties she showed them so far. She knew that this would be a long shot, but there are not any other large properties in Beacon County that she can think of. 

 

Fred returns to the staircase first after only being gone 15 minutes. “ Do you have any questions? “ Lydia asks, putting her phone back in her Prada handbag.

“Nah, you did a great job describing it before. The sawmill and chapel were pretty cool. “ Fred says leaning back on the railing next to her. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, rumor has it that you have an admirer at the coffee shop, and he doesn’t want to take no for an answer. “ She says smiling at the redhead.

“ Yeah, Ethan has been trying to get me to go out with him for the last three days. He is a persistent little shit” He says letting out a hearty laugh, “but he is an adorable little shit.”

“ You have no idea” Lydia says “Despite his cockiness, he is a really good friend, very loyal and would give you the shirt off his back. Though I suspect it would just be an excuse to show off his well muscled body. He is a vain little shit too.” She says sharing in the laughter.

“ Sounds like he is getting desperate. Did he ask you to butter me up to his advances? “ Fred asks raising his eyebrows questioningly.

“ Of course he did, but I figured he would have given up by now. I have not seen him so love sick since he tried to win Danny back.” She says, leading Fred into her little trap.

“Who’s Danny? Fred asks, his voice slightly tinged with jealousy “ Are they together?” He asks a little to quickly, wishing he could have caught the words before they left his mouth.

“Oh, they dated back in high school, and they broke up a couple of years ago. Danny lives in San Francisco with a couple of our friends, but he is in love with his artsy boyfriend, they have been together for three years. Ethan and Danny are just friends now, and Ethan hasn’t dated since they broke up. She explains, a knowing smile on her face, she knew she had Fred where she wanted him.

“ Oh, I thought he was a player, just looking for a quick shag, then off to the next unsuspecting fellow.” Fred says thinking back to his last three mornings of the beautiful man trying hard get him to say yes to a date. He used some pretty inventive tactics, each one more creative than the last. It got harder and harder for Fred to turn him down each time, especially after he called him by his name the second morning.

“I think that sometimes looks can be deceiving, and you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. Ethan despite his faults is a caring friend and wears his heart on his sleeve. He hasn’t been the same since Aiden’s death, but I don’t think it’s my place to tell you that story.” Lydia says turning her head and looking down the hall to the left. “ I think Luna may be coming back.” She says, her hand quickly wiping her eyes, which Fred swore he thought he saw glistening with tears just a moment before.

Luna and Neville make their way back to the two of them chatting softly to each other. They arrived at the staircase, ending their quiet conversation just as Draco and Harry made their way down the steps.

“I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have, or we could take a drive on the maintenance trails towards the back of the property if you want to see the lawn and gardens.” Lydia says hopefully.

“No questions here, I think we are ready to meet Giles back at the Daily Grind.” Draco says with slight bored expression on his face. 

“ Ok let’s load up then.” Lydia says putting on her sunglasses and locking the door behind them as they make their way out the Grand Entrance.

The ride back to town was mostly in silence, she hears quiet chattering in the back every now and then. She is discouraged by how short their visit had been on the interior walk through of the mansion. They didn’t even want to see the impressive lawns and gardens. She thinks they are probably not interested since they had only been here for 20 minutes or so and no one walked the entirety of the house. Lydia spends the rest of the drive thinking what other properties she could possibly show them. Knowing she had showed all the best houses that Beacon Hills has to offer, she was coming up with no ideas on what to do next. 

They pull into an open parking spot in front of the Daily Grind and they exit the van. She turns to Harry and Draco   
“ Shall we meet the same time tomorrow? Day four may be our lucky day” She says with enthusiasm, putting on her most professional smile she can muster.

“ There will be no need for that Lydia. “ Draco says matter of factly.

‘Here we go ‘ Lydia thinks, ‘fired after three days. ‘

“What Draco means to say is there will be no need to meet again the same time tomorrow to look at properties, because we would like to buy the beautiful estate we just left.” Harry says seeing Lydia’s face light up in surprise.

“Really, wow, ok I thought you all hated it by how short of a time we spent there.” Lydia says with some confusion. “ Since the town owns the estate, it will not take long to get the paperwork together. I can have all the required documentation drawn up and for you to sign by tomorrow morning. All you need to do is get your finances in order and we can get you the keys when the check from your bank arrives.” 

“Oh there will be no need to wait, I have a check for you now, and one for your commission .” Draco says pulling out two white envelopes from his inner jacket pocket. “We thought you deserved more than your stated percentage.”

“ I don’t know what to say... Thank you” she says excitedly taking the envelopes from Draco and placing them in her purse. “I will have the keys for you in the morning with the documents.”

“Please say that you will consider doing more work for us this week and help finding us a place for us to open up our shop. We will give you written details in the morning.” Harry says his emerald eyes twinkling with delight.

“Consider me at your service.” Lydia says extending her hand to them both in turn. “See you all tomorrow”.

 

*Fred POV*

The group turns and walks past the coffee shop, spotting Giles pulling into a parking spot a block away. Fred bringing up the rear looks into the sparsely populated coffee shop and spots the beautiful barista, who looks up in time to see them passing by. Ethan gives a big wave to Fred, a large smile forming on his face, his eyes lighting up. Fred gives a small wave back, a goofy smile spreading from ear to ear. His pulse quickens as Ethan makes a big production out of blowing him a kiss. Fred mocks catching it an puts it in his shirt pocket, next to his heart, tapping it and winking back at him. Ethan puts his hand to his head, on finger near his ear, the other to his lips, and mouths the words ‘Call Me’. Fred nods and jogs to catch up with the others, his face feeling flush.

He is last to get into the SUV and he turns and places his forehead on the cool glass. He stares out the window as the scenery rolls past, but the only thing he sees is the handsome face of the beautiful barista smiling back at him. He will give love a chance, George would want it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I an very excited where this story is heading! It is taking me about a week for each chapter, I am a busy Architect and a slow newbie writer!
> 
> Please leave kind comments, kudos, and subscribe/ bookmark the story if you like where it is headed. I promise the Dark stuff will soon reveal itself! 
> 
> Thank you you all are awesome!!!
> 
> DW

**Author's Note:**

> So that is the Prologue and I am halfway through writing the first chapter. I am not a professional writer but I appreciate any comments and Kudos you send my way. Thank you for reading and please subscribe to the story to read more chapters as they come out!
> 
> Love, Love, Love you much!
> 
> DW


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